Make do and Mend

The construction industry is responsible for almost 40% of the world’s carbon emissions, according to the World Green Building Council. Almost all the world’s cement, 50 % of steel, 26 % of aluminium and 25 % of all plastics end up making our built environment. In Britain, 50,000 buildings are demolished each year, accounting for more than 63% of the nation’s waste. Consumption and emissions go hand in hand – only when consumption of raw materials is curtailed, will the emissions decrease. A more thoughtful approach, in which repair, retrofit and refurbishment are given priority over demolition and rebuilding is needed. 

Which is not to say that buildings that do not meet our current requirements and standards – whether spatial, environmental or otherwise – should be kept as they are. For instance, across the UK, much like across the rest of Europe, the state invested heavily into mass housing after WWII. Between 1945 and 1980, almost 5.3 million homes were built by the local authorities and financed by the central government across England, Wales, and Scotland. 

But much like the homes at The Hillington Square estate in King’s Lynn that M? refurbished in 2015, many post-war housing blocks are still inhabited and can make fine, desirable homes if some of their root causes of decline are addressed. Working with Hemingway Design and our client Freebridge Community Housing we proposed to reconnect the homes to the ground level and give residents a renewed sense of ownership of their estate. The ground floors were remodelled to include new street-level access to some of the residential units, while the walkways connecting the different blocks were demolished. New access points were built to provide more direct access to the blocks’ residents and to combat anti-social behaviour in previously unsupervised, open spaces. Internally, kitchen and bathroom layouts were adapted to suit contemporary needs and windows were replaced and upgraded, improving both performance and appearance.

We also introduced more variety into the estate’s material palette. The buildings’ original red brick is complemented by brown brick bays on one side of the buildings, while the bays and balcony balustrades on the other side are painted in tones that draw from the wider historic context. The public spaces have been remodelled to provide new communal gardens and places to play and socialise. All of this has been done to give the blocks unique identity and to give the people on the estate a sense of pride and ownership of their new homes.